The Board of Deputies of British Jews

Transcription

1 The Board of Deputies of British Jews.. ' li ~

2 BRITISH SYNAGOGUE MEMBERSHIP IN 2001 Marlena Schmool Frances Cohen 2002 Board of Deputies All rights are reserved. Except for the quotation of short passages for the purposes of study, criticism and review, no part of this pubdcatlon may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, In any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical; photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher. The authors welcome requests relating to the analysis of data collected in this survey from bona fide researcher and students.

3 CONTENTS Preface 2 Introduction 3 Annotated Tables A. Geographic dimensions 2 3 Regional distribution of congregations and membership, 2001 Regional change, 1996 to 2001 Extended London Area membership, 197~ to B. Synagogue Groups 4 5 Membership by synagogal groupings, 2001 Change in synagogue groupings, Appendix 1 Membership by Standqfq_-:R~gion for United Kingdom 11 Appendix 2 Membership by London Borough 1.3

4 PREFACE This analysis by the Community Research Unit of the Board of Deputies follows those for 1977, 1983,1990 and The figures presented relate to early Area listings of individual synagogue memberships are available on request to 2

5 INTRODUCTION This booklet provides data on synagogue membership in the United Kingdom in These were based on the records of major London synagogal organisations and of individual synagogues throughout the Regions. Our report covers the whole religious spectrum of British Jewry each section of which has its own criterion for membership. lt does not cover all. the British Jewish population; some 30% are not linked directly or indirectly to a synagogue. Historically, the paterfamilias held membership to cover his wife, any children under the age of majority and any daughters over that age. Sons who were of age were expected to have membership in their own right. Insofar as they have formal membership, this pattern still prevails for Orthodox synagogues but is often augmented by special membership schemes for younger persons. More recently there has been a drive for women to take out additional memberships in their own right in order to vote in synagogue elections and to serve in offices. These are not included in our statistics if that would involve double counting. When a male head of household dies, his widow usually keeps up the membership. On the other hand, many (mainly non-orthodox) synagogues have 'family memberships' where either husband and wife. are each considered as individual members or the family is deemed to be one member.- In the tables that follow the numbers provided to us have been checked with synagogues and standardised as far as possible to ensure comparability and to permit calculation of 'household membership'. Within the confines of the figures as provided it is not possible to calculate the size of each household. Our enquiries suggest that for the most part, household membership covers at least (married) partners but in other cases it may represent a single-parent family with children, within all sections of the community. A problem arises in categorising the community according to its religious nature. As in other religions, Judaism displays a continuum from non-a(jh~rence (to any belief or ritual) to complete observance of ha/achah,j;~almudic-law).. lt is inappropriate to distinguish between degrees of observance within Orthodoxy, particularly when most Mainstream Orthodox synagogues have a core of strictly observant members. Thus we have called synagogues where all members are halachically observant Union of Orthodox, since the majority of them are linked to the umbrella organisation Union of Orthodox Hebrew Congregations. The remaining majority of Ashkenazi Orthodox synagogues are grouped as Mainstream Orthodox. This distinction is maintained in the tables which follow. Synagogal Groups Six synagogal groupings may be distinguished in the United Kingdom. The analytical groups in the annotated tables relate to affiliation given in the full congregational listings in line with the categories set out below: Liberal comprises congregations of the Union of Liberal and Progressive Synagogues (ULPS) and, for historical reasons, the now-independent Belsize Square Synagogue. 3

6 Mainstream Orthodox covers the London-based United Synagogue (US) and Federation of Synagogues (Fed) together with those regional synagogues which recognise the authority of the Chief Rabbi and a small number of London and regional independent Ashkenazi orthodox congregations. Masorti (Conservative) congregations are found mainly in Greater London. Their theological position is between Orthodox and Reform.. Reform includes constituents of the umbrella-organisation Reform Synagogues of Great Britain (RSGB) and the independent Westminster Synagogue. Sephardi synagogues are those of the Spanish and Portuguese Jews' Congregation, the longest settled section of British Jewry, found in London and Manchester. Union of Orthodox (UO) takes in those congregations which expect strict adherence to halacha from all their members. They are mostly under the umbrella of the Union of Orthodox Hebrew Congregations, established in Coverage The caveats set down in earlier listings still hold ~ood. Synagogue membership numbers do not equal population counts even though the majority of identifying British Jews belong to a synagogue. Total household numbers are very slightly inflatec!.because of dual memberships, which have been judged by 2: These occur when a household, as a uriit or an individual, belongs to more than one synagogue, when more than one person at a single address has individual membership, or when husband and wife are each considered individual members. Slight overstatement of households occurs because people in residential homes are included, via the single member counts, as households. Particularly in London boroughs, synagog~..)'tlembership cannot be taken as a guide to the size of the local Jewish population. Some London boroughs have no synagogues, but this does not mean complete absence of Jews from those areas. Other boroughs have synagogues - established by earlier generations - whose current members live outside the borough boundary. Some synagogues, in areas of sparse Jewish population or in the centre of large towns, have members living in a wide catchment area. 4

7 A. Regional Distribution Over the years, it has become clear that these membership analyses are very often used as a proxy for the distribution of Jewish population. We are also aware that, in the 25 years centres of gravity of communities have shifted particularly as regards what is broadly known as Greater London. Since the first listing in 1977, Greater London and the Rest of the South East have been separated out in the tables but, as the Jewish population has moved, progressively fewer 'Greater London' members reside in the local authority boundaries of the Greater London authority. In order to show the outcomes of this movement we have introduced a table for what we have termed the Extended London Area which distinguishes Inner London, Outer London and Contiguous Areas. Where the simple term 'Greater London' is used, this refers to synagogues situated within the Greater London Authority administrative boundary. The figures for membership in all these tables cover household memberships augmented by single adult memberships but excluding those married women who have separate membership in order to obtain voting rights and young adults who live in the parental home.' As we explained in the introduction, studies' have shown that 30% of the estimated core population are not affiliated to a synagogue. The data in this booklet relate to the remaining 70%. 1: Congregations and Membership 2001 Region Congregation Membership % s Greater London , Rest of South East 49 9, 190' South West 9 1, East Anglia East Midlands ~ =-:-::,-:... West Midlands Greater Manchester 40 7, Rest of North West 12 2, Yorkshire & Humberside 16 4, North Scotland 11 1, Wales Northern Ireland United Kingdorn , ' Full listings that separate out household and individual members are available from the Community Research Unit. 2 S Miller, M Schmool and A Lerman, Social and Political Attitudes of British Jews, (London; Institute for Jewish Policy Research, 1996) 5

8 In 2001 there were 362 congregations in the United Kingdom with a total membership of 87,790. In addition 14,848 married women were recorded as having membership in their own right; they are not included in the analysis. There has been a net decrease of 3 synagogues since The number of married women with individual membership rose by approximately 4,300 between 1996 and 2001 with the increase being confined to Greater London. Approximately 70% of all synagogue members belong to congregations in the Extended London Area whereas only 56% (203) of all congregations are situated there. This gives an average congregational size of 305 members in this area compared with an average of 163 members in the Regions i.e. outside the Extended London Area. In both geographical sectors, the average has fallen- by 4% in London and by 13% in the Regions. The London Boroughs of Barnet, Harrow and Hillingdon, together with the congregations of South Hertfordshire that touch on Greater London, account for approximately 41% of Greater London (and 29% of national) synagogue household membership. Hackney, with its predominantly strictly orthodox character, accounts for 11 percent of synagogueaffiliated households in Greater London and Redbridge with the congregations of Southwest Essex take in just under 1 0%. Of the 159 congregations outside the Extended London Area, 70 are in eight major Jewish centres such as Manchester, Leeds and Brighton while 89 are in 70 other locations, throughout the United Kingdom from Scotlan-d to the South-Coast. There is continual change in the number of congregations with new groups being established and others closing. Since the compilation was completed we have been notified of two closures but the membership figures have not been corrected because members were absorbed into existing congregations. 2: Regional Change 1996 to 2001 Membership Net change Region 1996.,.2p01 Number % Greater London Rest of South East South West East Anglia East Midlands West Midlands Greater Manchester Rest of North West Yorkshire & Humberside North Scotland Wales Northern Ireland United Kingdom

9 Table 2 compares membership by area for 1996 and The 192 congregations situated within Greater London boroughs in 2001 had an average membership of 301, compared with 193 congregations in 1996 each then with an average membership of 319. In total the membership in this strictly defined area fell by 6%. Between 1990 and 1996 in there had been a 10% fall in membership, so the rate of decline has slowed down. As can be seen in Table 2. with the exception of slight increases in the Southwest and East Anglia, regional area membership decreased. The greatest absolute regional decline was in the Greater Manchester area (a reduction of 590) and the largest proportionate decline was in the North with a loss of more that a quarter (27%). Table 3 brings together data' over the past quarter-century for an extended London area in order to indicate trends for what is generally considered as London Jewry'. The table summarises synagogue membership in Greater London and the contiguous areas of Southwest Essex, South Hertfordshire and North Surrey. The data may be taken as showing movements within the wider London geographical area over 25 years. 3: Extended London Area Membership, 1977 to Area Inner London f Outer London Coniiguous areas Total As discussed above, confining ourselves to the Greater London boroughs as a definition of the London Jewish community neglects recent population movements, particularly northwards to Essex and Hertfordshire, and SQ<Iable 3 looks in greater depth at trends in the Extended London Area from 1977 to The totals show that, taking the area as a whole, membership has fallen by 18% over the period. Inner London has fallen by 38% and Outer London, after increasing a little in the early 1980s, has lost 8.5% of its synagogue membership. In contrast, synagogue affiliation in the contiguous areas has almost tripled. Nevertheless, the declining numbers in Inner and Outer London are not compensated for by this increase. These 3 From Board of Deputies compilations of synagogue membership for each of the given years. ' Inner London incorporates the following boroughs:- Camden, City of London, Hackney, Hammersmith, Haringey, Islington, Kensington/Chelsea, Lambeth, Lewisham, Newham, Southwark, Tower Hamlets, Wandsworth, City of Westminster. Outer London incorporates: Barnet, Brent, Bromley, Croydon, Ealing, Enfield, Greenwich, Harrow, Havering, Hillingdon, Hounslow, Kingston, Merton, Redbridge, Richmond, Sutton, Waltham Forest. Boroughs with an do not have a synagogue. 7

10 data strongly illustrate the movement of London Jewry from urban areas through to suburban, and more recently, dormitory locations. The proportional changes support this interpretation. In % of synagogue affiliated households belonged to congregation in the Inner London boroughs; by 2001 this proportion had reduced to 35%. During that time, the proportion in contiguous areas rose from 2% to 7%. By 2001 Outer London and the contiguous areas accounted for almost two-thirds of synagogue membership. While for the most part people live near the synagogues to which they belong, Inner London figures do not indicate residential patterns; many members of centrally located synagogues live some distance away. On the other hand, increase in membership in the suburbs adjacent to Greater London shows migration to these areas and locally resident households. Synagogue leaders in those places have made great efforts to recruit members and a number of new congregations, Orthodox and Progressive, have been established to cater for newcomers. We may therefore say that the synagogue membership underestimates the size of the London Jewish population residing in the suburbs. Indeed, since the 1960s, both sample surveys and comparisons of population estimates with extrapolations from synagogue data have suggested that some 30% of selfidentifying Jews are not affiliated to synagogues. If we accept this constant ratio, then these data confirm that the Jewish population of Greater London has fallen over the period despite immigration from the Regions si rice the _1950s.....:.;:.:;::... 8

11 B: Synagogue groupings 4: Membership by Synagogal Grouping, 2001 UNITED KINGDOM Mainstream Orthodox Reform Liberal Union of Orthodox Sephardi Masorti Total GREATER LONDON Mainstream Orthodox Reform Liberal Union of Orthodox Sephardi Masorti Total REGIONS Mainstream Orthodox Reform Liberal Union of Orthodox Sephardi Masorti Total Congregations :a 1~ Membership No % For historical reasons Mainstream Orthodoxy is the major synagogue grouping in British Jewry and the London area provides the widest choice in synagogue type. Membership of a particular type of synagogue does not necessarily reflect differences in level of practice, for example, between all members of Mainstream and the Union of Orthodox congregations. In 2001 the proportion of synagogue members affiliated to the Mainstream Orthodox stood at 57% nationally and showed a marked a difference between Greater London and Regional membership. In the Greater London boroughs, Mainstream Orthodox take in 51% of all memberships, while in the Regions they are 69%. In the areas contiguous to Greater London, three-quarter of all synagogue memberships were in Mainstream Orthodox synagogues but, nevertheless, the Mainstream Orthodox were still only 52% of the extended London area members. Progressive synagogues (including Masorti) account for just under one in every three memberships with a slight bias to membership in the London area (however defined). 9

12 Nationally, just under 2% of synagogue memberships are in Masorti synagogues, which were included in Mainstream Orthodox figures in earlier years. 5: Change in synagogue groupings, Membership Net change Number % Mainstream Orthodox Masorti Union of Orthodox Liberal Reform Sephardi Total The loss of synagogue members in the late 1990s is strongly concentrated in the Mainstream Orthodox section. This may be taken as the outcome of historical demographic trends combined with recent membership movement towards progressive sectors. 5 The 12% loss in the Mainstream Orthodox between 1996 and 2001 was approximately twice the national average (-6.3%) while 'other groups either increased or were generally stable. Reform, Liberal anc:l Union of Orthodox membership levels were all 'higher in 2001 than they had been in 1990 but even by combining Mainstream Orthodox and Masorti data (as was the practice until 1996) does not.raise the Mainstream figure above the 1990 number. Reform, Masorti ahd the Union all showed absolute increases in membership between 1996 to The combination of these changes has led to a realignmenfof comparative membership strengths over ihe decade. During that time, Mainstream' Orthodox membershfps fell from accounting for 68% of all synagogue memberships to taking in 57% of the lower total; the Union of Orthodox share nationally rose. over the "same period from 6% to 8:6%. Reform moved from 17% to 20% and Lltierai increased from 6% to 9%.. 5 See Profile of British Jewry by M Schmool and F. Cohen (Board of Deputies 1998), pp

13 Appendix 1: Membership by Standard Region for United Kingdom REGION COUNTY Congs Individuals Total Total H/hld Males Females SOUTH EAST Bedfordshire Berkshire Buckinghamshire East Sussex Essex Greater London Hampshire Hertfordshire Kent Oxfordshire Surrey West Sussex SOUTH WEST Avon Devon Dorset Gloucestershire Wiltshire EAST ANGLIA Cambridgeshire ,.-.; ' Norfolk EAST MIDLANDS Leicestershire Lincolnshire Northamptonshire Nottinghamshire

14 REGION COUNTY Congs Individuals Total Total H/hld Males Females WEST MIDLANDS Herefordshire Staffordshire West Midlands NORTH WEST Cheshire Grtr Manchester Lancashire Merseyside YORKSHIRE & Humberside HUMBERSIDE North Yorkshire 2 loo South Yorkshire West Yorkshire NORTH Durham Tyne & Wear SCOTLAND WALES '!, -:.:--:;~... NORTHERN IRELAND TOTAL

15 Appendix 2: Membership by London Borough 2001 Congs Individuals 1995 BOROUGH Total H/hld Males Females Total Barnet Brent Bramley Camden City of London Included with Westminster Croydon Ealing Enfield Greenwich Syn. closed 116 Hackney : Hammersmith Haringey Harrow Havering Hillingdon Hounslow Kensington & Chelsea Kingston upon Thames Lambeth Lewisham 268.,.._,_,..,, Merton Newham Redbridge Richmond upon Thames Sutton Tower Hamlets Waltham Forest Wandsworth Westminster Total

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